There is nothing wrong with expressing concern over the saftey of the players in the league. But that concern is targetted in the wrong areas of the game.

Fighting is probably as safe as it's ever going to get. The refs jump in at any oppertunity to ensure that the players are ok. Not to mention that every single person in the game is watching the two guys drop the gloves. Thats not to mention that designated fighters are a thing of the past. Back in the day when enforcers could keep players like Cooke, Rinaldo, Carcillo ect out of the league.

The role of the fighter is being kept up by possibly 4-5 teams in the league, and even then, the fanbase doesn't want a player who can't skate, puck handle and shoot. Look at Shelley as an example. He dresses for less than half the games in the season, he fights in less than half of those, and the fanbase hates him as a player. Teams are soon dropping these guys in favour of players who "can" fight, but also play the puck.

This thread is typical of every non-conformist opinion. 3 guys doing the posting for the millions of people that apparently support their cause. It's always the same gig. Pulling facts like " 50-50 split" out of mid air to support their cause. It's often done in extreme.

Whoever posted about the enforcers deaths is bang on. The media takes a story and twists and turns it into anything they want. They know that it's a controversial issue so they can't wait to drum up stories. Take a look at the papers talking about Muamba right now. Now there is talk about every child requiring medical screening before they will be allowed to play sports. Not that it will ever happen.

Then you havent been paying attention. Im pro fight, but not in every league. i dont want minor hockey players to fight, but we are talking about the nhl, a league that has fights since its inception and has a historical element for more than a century.

You cannot describe the nhl without fights. The idea that there was a time when the game was pure and fighting did not exist is a lie perpetrated by your anti fight bretheren. If fights have been around as long as goals and saves in the nhl and has been retained for more than 100 years, how is this not inegral.
If you like hockey and dont like fights you have many alternatives. Insisting that the nhl game should betray the players the overwhelming number of fans because YOU would like it better is a level of self centeredness that would draw scorn in any venue.

If you became a fan of the nhl, you became a fan of a league with fights. To feign ignorace of this as a platform for some fake sense of outrage seems a little disingenuous to me.

I dont like shootouts, i wish they would go away but they are part of the game now. Does this mean I wont watch games because of the shootouts ? Of course not, the overall game is still great even with one or two parts that I could do without. Why do the antifighting crowd think that every aspect of the game must be tailored to maximize their enjoyment ?

If you dont like the fights turn away, in two minutes the greatest game on gods green earth will start again. Is this concession too much to ask?

Don't even know where to start with this? Fighting has always been in hockey? Really? Really? No, it has not my friend. Fighting come into hockey around in the 20s' but the fights were few a far between. We're talking very few fights here, maybe 1 in every 10-15 games, plus they not play 82 games back then, they played any where from 29 to 44 games. 30s' were pretty much the same thing and as for the era of the 1942 to 1966/67 season, there was fighting but nothing like today. Fighting in hockey really didn't come full boar until the 70s' but they also stick swinging and other things going on. In the 80s and 90s though we started to get players who could do one thing and that is fight. So the answer is kill off the goon and fighting will go down. It's not about killing off fighting it's about getting goons and staged fights out of hockey.

And the fact you don't want minor leaguers fighting is funny beyond belief. The AHL use to be goon city, bench clearly brawls, fights every minute and so on. The ECHL and all those minor league us to goon city also. The NHL was tame with there stickings swinging and fights.

No, I became a fan of hockey and the NHL for it's fighting but for the skill of the game. I did not sign up for goons with no skill who have more minutes in the box than on the ice.

I signed up for the Sergei Fedorovs, Brett Hulls, Wayne Gretzkys, Patrick Roys and Jaromir Jagrs. That my friend is what I signed up for.

And to say fighting is part of the game and it must be in the game, please.... World Championships, Olympics(best hockey ever),World JR Championships. People would say those are that some of the best hockey you will see played and there is no fighting.

What about the NHL playoffs? fighting in the playoffs is limited and there is not much of it and when there is fighting it normally kills the flow of game. Everyone likes playoff hockey and the fights are limited and normally as the number of team do down and pressure is turned up, the fights drop.

How often do you see two guys fight with helmets and visors and the helmets both remain on for the entire fight. You can't remove your own or the other guys helmet or the fight is immediately over.

The only way that works is a full cage, even then I ve seen guys have a full cage ripped off in a fight.

I am not sure I understand your point, you want to stop fighting by implementing something that is even harder to enforce ? Lots of times players helmets stay on, most of the time the opponent tries to take it off but telling players they can wail away but cant pull off their opponents helmet or must stop throwing if the helmets gets knocked off seems like an unreasonable expectation to me.

Fighting has been part of hockey in North American for over 100 years, it is part of the game.

If it were solely up to Bettman hockey would be outlawed. The Commissioner has indicated many times that he has a disdain for fights in the NHL. I think he understands that fighting has been part of a game and a tradition so it's only regulated in the game. If the number of concussions continue to rise and star players sit out changes to fighting and physicality will be made. Hockey is the only major team sport that condones this behavior.

Don't even know where to start with this? Fighting has always been in hockey? Really? Really? No, it has not my friend. Fighting come into hockey around in the 20s' but the fights were few a far between. We're talking very few fights here, maybe 1 in every 10-15 games, plus they not play 82 games back then, they played any where from 29 to 44 games. 30s' were pretty much the same thing and as for the era of the 1942 to 1966/67 season, there was fighting but nothing like today. Fighting in hockey really didn't come full boar until the 70s' but they also stick swinging and other things going on. In the 80s and 90s though we started to get players who could do one thing and that is fight. So the answer is kill off the goon and fighting will go down. It's not about killing off fighting it's about getting goons and staged fights out of hockey.

And the fact you don't want minor leaguers fighting is funny beyond belief. The AHL use to be goon city, bench clearly brawls, fights every minute and so on. The ECHL and all those minor league us to goon city also. The NHL was tame with there stickings swinging and fights.

Nhl rule 56, inception 1922. This is the rule for a major for fighting. In the 20s and 30s when players fought they often would not drop the cloves but go all out stick fights, is this what you want to return to? Really ? Wont your pacifist freinds be shocked?

The 70s certainly had their fair share of scraps, but the 50s and sixties were no picnic. If fighting keeps the stick fights down, i am good with that.

And minor hockey means kids playing for fun, the way most of us came to learn to lovebthe game, not major junior or the echl.

If it were solely up to Bettman hockey would be outlawed. The Commissioner has indicated many times that he has a disdain for fights in the NHL. I think he understands that fighting has been part of a game and a tradition so it's only regulated in the game. If the number of concussions continue to rise and star players sit out changes to fighting and physicality will be made. Hockey is the only major team sport that condones this behavior.

I don't know what the number are, but I bet the number of concussions caused by fights is very low. Crosby, Horton, Lindros, Savard, Letang, Primeau.....none caused by fighting.

I see fights in baseball, basketball...hell, I've seen Nascar guys go at it.

Take fighting out this game will be worse with stick work and cheap shots. Is HFboards really prepared for that?

Look what the NFL did to the Saints. Now that is ballsy. Do you think we will see cheap shots from Saints players?
New Orleans may become the softest team in the league. The NHL needs to send a message against dangerous play. Severe fines and penalties.

Fighting has been part of hockey in North American for over 100 years, it is part of the game.

fighting in hockey really did not start until the 1920s and like i before it was limited.
Fighting did not become what it is today until the 70s really and even then your guys fights we not goon type players. Goons did not really come into play until the 80s and 90s. So has fighting always been a part of the game? no. Can it stick around? sure, but, only if it's punished correctly and no like it is now.

Take fighting out this game will be worse with stick work and cheap shots. Is HFboards really prepared for that?

The same people that are crying over fighting right now, will then cry for less hitting. And soon we can enjoy figure skating with sticks and a puck. I know how unwatchable certain European leagues have become because they tried to make the game more family friendly and restricted physicality more and more.

Look what the NFL did to the Saints. Now that is ballsy. Do you think we will see cheap shots from Saints players?
New Orleans may become the softest team in the league. The NHL needs to send a message against dangerous play. Severe fines and penalties.

You think that is going to stop big hits in the NFL? All that move did was rid the NFL of the bounty program. You cannot compare the NHL with the NFL. Its just too different.

fighting in hockey really did not start until the 1920s and like i before it was limited.
Fighting did not become what it is today until the 70s really and even then your guys fights we not goon type players. Goons did not really come into play until the 80s and 90s. So has fighting always been a part of the game? no. Can it stick around? sure, but, only if it's punished correctly and no like it is now.

if you want to use 1920 as the date, thats 92 years. The 50's abd 60's had plenty of fighting.Goon where around in the 70's.

If you think fighting is a problem now, you would have hated the 70's. The game is cleaner now than it's ever been.

The same people that are crying over fighting right now, will then cry for less hitting. And soon we can enjoy figure skating with sticks and a puck. I know how unwatchable certain European leagues have become because they tried to make the game more family friendly and restricted physicality more and more.[/QUOTE]

People on this board constantly complain about the officiating. They complain about all the clutching and grabbing going on. They complain that scoring is down and offense is down and star players cannot show their skills.
But goons who do little but fight and slow the game down are ok?
Fighting in general slows the game down and equates to lower scoring.
Clean hits and checks are great to watch and part of the game. As much as I dislike fighting I don't want to eliminate it completely. But if fighting was banned I wouldn't blink an eye.

The anti fighting crowd argues about no skilled goons but don't acknowledge the fact that the unskilled goon is a dying breed in the NHL. The pure enforcer is slowly being taken out of the game. Fighting will never be taken out of the game. You guys are in the minority. A very small one. Sorry.